Dutch Reformed Church

Built in 1928 in the Byzantine style this landmark of the city is a Provincial Heritage Site. It has a circular plan, with a unique clock tower in which the mechanisms are moved by means of water. This monumental church is not only beautiful from the outside; the interior displays a well designed teak timber pulpit, paneling and decorations. The main church space is located under an impressive dome which is carried on four arches. This spatial arrangement is a precursor to the Voortrekker Monument that Moerdijk was to design 15 years later.
The church is still used today as originally intended, with the surrounding schools also hosting events like year-end ceremonies in this prominent building.

Architect:
Gerard Leendert Pieter Moerdijk
Regarded as the most famous Dutch born Afrikaans architect, Gerard Moerdijk was raised in a Dutch home in South Africa and attended Pretoria Boys High School. He won his first architectural competition while still at school and worked for the Public Works Department before going to England to study architecture. He promoted an architectural style that is suited to the South African context and he is well known for designing numerous churches and university buildings.

Sources:
CLARKE, N. 2011. Architectural History of the Capital. In Contemporary Capital. Edited by Pieter J. Mathews. South Africa: Visual Books. p.20-27.
More on Gerard Moerdijk
artifacts.co.za/architect (accessed 23 January 2014).
More on Chemistry Building
able.wiki.up.ac.za (accessed 23 January 2014).
More on Dutch Reformed Christianity and the Building
artifacts.co.za/building (accessed 3 February 2014).
sahra.org.za (accessed 3 February 2014).
repository.up.ac.za (accessed 4 February 2014).
ngkerg.org.za (accessed 20 February 2014).